Queensferry RNLI volunteers launch on service 6 times in 48 hours

The volunteer crew were requested to launch their Atlantic-85 B-Class lifeboat Jimmie Cairncross on Friday 28 February at the request of HM Coastguard after an individual was reported to have been cut off by the tide on Cramond Island. Once on scene, the casualty was transferred to Cramond Village on the lifeboat to the care of the South Queensferry Coastguard Rescue Team. The boat was refuelled and made ready for service by 1.50pm.

Not long after the volunteer crew had returned home, the pagers sounded again at 4.18pm to an incident at Granton harbour. The lifeboat stood off the harbour, alongside Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat whilst the incident was successfully resolved by Police Scotland.

The lifeboat and crew had just returned to station at 7.25pm, when a further tasking came through. HM Coastguard had received reports of a missing person in the Aberdour area. The lifeboat made best speed to Aberdour and was tasked to undertake searches between Aberdour and Burntisland. Searches were undertaken alongside HM Coastguard Helicopter Rescue 199 (Prestwick) and Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat, with local Coastguard Rescue teams searching shoreside. The search was stood down at 10.35pm once the casualty was confirmed found safe ashore.

At 12.28pm on Saturday 1 March, pagers sounded to reports of multiple persons in the water on the Cramond Causeway. Once on scene, the Queensferry RNLI lifeboat undertook a search of the causeway area and found no persons in the water. It was confirmed that a number of casualties had already safely made it ashore.

Two volunteer crew members were put on the island to ensure all persons on the island were safe and intended to remain there. A shoreline search was undertaken along with Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat and HM Coastguard Helicopter Rescue 151 (Inverness) to ensure no further casualties were in the water. Nothing was found following an extensive search and all assets were stood down.

Service number five of the weekend arrived on Sunday 2 March with the pagers waking volunteers up at 4.16am. The Queensferry RNLI lifeboat was tasked alongside Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat and HM Coastguard Helicopter Rescue 199 (Prestwick) to undertake a search for a person in the water. The lifeboat was stood down at 7.30am.

After a long night on service, pagers sounded for the second time on Sunday (2 March) at 12.55pm to reports from Police Scotland of a number of people in the water on Cramond Causeway. The lifeboat launched and had arrived on scene within 18 minutes of the pagers going off. Following a short search of the causeway, it was confirmed that all persons were successfully accounted for ashore. The remaining casualties cut off by the tide on the island were transported to Cramond Village by Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat.

Speaking following the call outs at the weekend, a spokesperson from Queensferry RNLI said: ‘It has been an exceptionally busy weekend for our volunteers. Half of these shouts were to do with people getting into difficulty at Cramond Island and causeway. We would like to remind anyone planning a visit to the area to check the safe crossing times on our website. It is also recommended to bring a means for calling for help, if you or anyone else is in danger call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’